Southern Europe in March 2026: the most important developments in society
In March 2026 society in Southern Europe was marked by public reaction to the war involving Iran. On 14 March protesters in Rome burned images of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Justice Minister Carlo Nordio; a demonstration against a possible war with Iran had been scheduled in the city for that day. Anti-war marches took place at the US and Israeli embassies in Athens, and thousands protested in Spain on 22 March. In Cyprus, public anger was directed at the British military bases on the island, which critics called a colonial relic. Governments also worked to bring citizens home: a charter flight carried 127 Italians from Oman to Rome on 2 March, Greece repatriated 91 citizens from Abu Dhabi, and Cyprus extended residence permits for foreigners stranded abroad.
Migration was a second theme. Around 200 migrants reached Crete from Africa in a single day in early March, and 346 were rescued near the island the next day. Italy transferred 80 migrants to Albania. Spain announced plans to expand healthcare access to undocumented migrants, and Finland's interior minister criticised Spain's mass regularisation. Meloni and Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen urged the EU to prepare for a rise in arrivals, and Meloni welcomed the European Parliament's approval of return hubs in third countries.
Health and weather also drew attention. Italy confirmed the first human case of H9N2 avian flu in Europe, a man in Lombardy, and health authorities said the risk to the general population is low. Greece banned livestock products from Lesvos after a foot-and-mouth outbreak. The Italian cabinet approved a one-year state of emergency for Calabria after severe weather. A storm on 26 March brought snow, gale-force winds and waves of up to 10 metres to parts of Italy, and an avalanche killed two skiers in the north. Earthquakes of magnitude 5.3 and 4.8 shook northwestern and central Greece, without reports of significant damage.
Other items included a dispute inside the Madrid regional government over concerts by Shakira, and King Felipe VI's statement that there were many abuses during the colonisation of the Americas.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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